Helping Hands Townsend Closes Doors
 | Author:
Dee Gannon, MT43 News Correspondent
MT43 News Correspondent |
Dee Gannon
MT43 News Correspondent
“The Heart of Townsend”, “Best store around,” “Affordable and local,” “Saves me money and time”, “I get the best treasures here”, are just a few of the comments that were heard every day at Helping Hands (HHT) on Pine.
Even the many people who shop at, donate to, and need this store were unheard, when the owner decided to sell the store without asking if they were interested in buying to keep it running. The building was sold in the first week it was listed. Not only disrespecting the renters, but disregarding what an asset it was to the community. There were even buyers in line to purchase the building at full price, just to keep it the way it was. It's all too sad now.
HHT on Pine has until July 17 to vacate the property. It’s quite the undertaking. Shelves and racks that were just a few weeks ago, brimming to overfull with donations for sale, are now empty. All the tubs, empty except for the thousands of hangers being stored, were lined up along the perimeter. They were moved on Saturday, July 12.
They must move three sheds as well. Because of a snafu on the moving end, the sheds could not be moved beforehand. Hopefully, that can be done on Monday, July 14. Les and Barb Shipman have offered to store the sheds, which is a huge help. Many thanks and much gratitude go to them.
On Tuesday, July 8, the removal process began. Many volunteers had signed up and showed up, armed with screwdrivers and hammers. Racks were dismantled; shelving came down, along with the standards and the running boards. They were all tied together, with each hardware taped to the appropriate fixture. It all ran very smoothly; in fact, so smoothly that the planned second day of dismantling was not needed.
Saturday, July 12, was moving day. They had originally planned on storing all the fixtures in the three sheds, but the sheds couldn’t be moved until Monday. Plan B went into action. Sheila Heavirland, manager at the 4KIDS Store, offered up the stone building behind her store. So, the racks, shelving and bookcases were loaded into volunteer trucks and trailers and moved to the stone house. Surprisingly, everything heavy was able to go into the stone house. Volunteers only had to move most tubs (including the ones with hangers) upstairs; what a blessing. Thankfully, Sheila offered the space.
Both workdays, July 8 and 12, volunteers were treated to pizza, compliments of HHT. What they accomplished is amazing. I couldn’t possibly name all the volunteers who were so gracious to help. They were led and directed by Teresa, whose instructions were clear and concise, so that everyone knew exactly what to do. They all worked from 10-2 on Tuesday, and 9 to noon on Saturday. It couldn’t have gone better.
Tuesday, July 15, is cleaning day, wiping down surfaces, putting in the final touches before the walk-through happening on Thursday.
Do not despair. Helping Hands is looking for a new space. They don’t want to be gone long…not with the needs of the community in limbo.
You can help. Do you know of any affordable spaces opening? Their last space was 2,244 sf. They would love that much space, or more. But, because they just need to serve the community, they can make do with less. If you need any more info, please call Dee at 406-949-0078.
Article Images
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PhotoCredit: Dee Gannon
Image 1 Caption: Volunteers hard at work dismantling shelves
Photo Credit: Dee Gannon
Image 2 Caption: HHT First Poster
Image 3 Caption: Everything coming down
Image 4 Caption: Take Down Done - Cleaning Next
